Valve for dispensing fluid medium under pressure from a container



June 30, 1959 H. c. NOE

VALVE FOR DISPENSING FLUID MEDIUM UNDER PRESSURE FROM A CONTAINER NIH I Filed March 8, 1955 INVENTOR jYar-a/J @1156 BY WM-QW W ATTORNEY United States Patent VALVE FOR DISPENSlN G FLUID MEDIUM UNDER PRESSURE FROM A CONTAINER Harold C. Noe, Upper Montclair, N..I., assignor to Kidde Manufacturing Co., Inc., Bloomfield, N .J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 8, 1955, Serial No. 492,947

6 Claims. (Cl. 222-394) The present invention relates to dispensing fluid medium under pressure from a container; and, more particularly, to a valve primarily adapted for dispensing fluid in a frothy state, for example, whipped cream produced by aerating cream in the container.

Heretofore, many valves have been devised for accomplishing the foregoing purpose but all of such valves were objectionable for one or more reasons. A common complaint has been that such valves were diflicult to clean properly or could not be readily taken apart for cleaning and reassembled. Some valves required the entire use of one hand to operate the same while holding the container in the other hand, while other valves required a substantial force to operate the same. Another difiiculty has been that the valves opened too quickly whereby the medium was discharged with a blast to cause splattering thereof resulting in a mess which had to be cleaned. Still other valves were unsafe in the hands of operators having ordinary skill and intelligence because they invited improper reassembly and mismanipulation.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to cover portion for discharging a gaseous medium from a small bulb or cartridge into the container.

The valve assembly 17 comprises a valve member 18, and a resilient member formed of natural or synthetic rubber or other suitable material which has a plug section 21 inserted through the opening 16, a tubular section extending upwardly from the plug section, and a flange 22 on the lower end of the plug section disposed within the container and engaging the interior wall thereof, which, in the illustrative disclosure is the underside of the cover portion. A small bore 24 extends through the flange 22 and the plug section 21, and a large bore 25 extends through the tubular section 20 and communicates with the small bore and provides a shoulder 26. The lower end of the small bore, at the flange 22, is formed with a valve seat 27. The plug section 21 is formed with an external annular recess 29 for receiving the portion of the container wall defining the opening 16 to removably attach the resilient member to the closure 11.

The valve member 18 comprises a portion 30 herein shown as having a conical surface adapted to seat on the valve seat 27 to seal the bore, and a valve stem 31 extending through the small bore in close fitting relation and extending upwardly into the large bore in spaced relation thereto to provide a passageway to adjacent the upper open end of the tubular section. The valve member is provide a valve which overcomes the foregoing ditficulties and disadvantages.

Another object is to provide such a valve which is adapted for easy one hand operation, is readily taken apart for cleaning and can be put together again with all parts in proper and safe working condition, and can be opened gradually to prevent blasting.

A further object is to provide such a valve which is constructed of a minimum number of extremely simple parts and thereby is economical to manufacture and assemble.

A still further object is to provide such a valve which is attached to the container in a manner whereby the entire dispensing unit is greatly simplified and reduced in cost.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a dispensing unit, partly in section and partly in elevation.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating the operation of the valve.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, a dispensing container unit is shown which comprises a body or receptacle 10 having an open upper end, a closure 11, and a gasket 12 for sealing the open end by means of the closure.

The closure has a depending skirt 14 formed with threads or the like to secure the same to the receptacle, and has a cover portion 15 formed with an opening 16 for receiving a valve assembly 17 as described hereinafter. A conventional aerating assembly 19 is mounted on the removably retained in the resilient member to facilitate removal for cleaning and reassembly but is safely secured in its working position by providing an enlarged portion 32 on the stern which fits against the shoulder 26 to prevent the valve member from being pushed inwardly, and by providing an enlargement such as a flange or disc 34 beneath the portion 30 adjacently spaced from the flange 22 which has a larger diameter than the opening 16 to prevent the valve assembly from being forced outwardly of the opening 16 by pressure within the container. By spacing the flange 34 in this manner, the valve member can be tilted to a limited extent as about to be described.

In operation, a desired quantity of cream, for example, is placed in the receptacle 10 and the closure 11 is secured with the valve assembly 17 positioned as shown in Fig. l to seal the small bore and valve seat. The cream is then aerated by means of the charging assembly 19 in the usual manner.

In order to dispense the cream in whipped condition, the container is grasped in a manner to enable one finger to engage the tubular section 20 and deflect or tilt the same together with the valve stem therein, as shown in Fig. 2. Such tilting causes the portion 30 to be unseated and the small bore 24 to be distorted or deformed to provide a passageway (shown schematically in broken lines) for establishing fluid flow communication between the container and the large bore, whereby the cream is throttled through the small bore and is caused to froth and be discharged through the open end of the large bore for direct application to the point of use.

In Fig. 2, the valve is shown at the commencement of the tilting operation, and such operation may be continued until the flange 34 of the valve member engages the flange 22 of the resilient member to provide a toggle effect which assists in more fully distorting the small bore 24 to establish the discharge passageway. However, in all cases, the cream is throttled through the passageway in a manner to prevent too rapid discharge thereof whereby blasting is prevented.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a simple, inexpensive valve for dispensing aerated fluids and the like which consists of only two parts adapted for thorough cleaning and safe reassembly.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without 3 departing-from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificingrany of its. advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

1. In combination with a centaineb'having' a wall formed withan'opening therethrougm a yieldable member having a resilient plug section extending downwardly throughsaid opening, a tubular section of greater length than'said plug: section extending upwardly from said plug section, and a flange on said plug section disposed within said container and engaging the interior of said wall, said member having a 'relativelysmall diameter bore extending throughsaid'plug section andlhaving a bore of greater length and diameter than said small boreextending' through said itubular section" and communicating with said"smallbore;.iand a .valve member having a portion seated across the l'ower'end of said small bore to seal said small -fbore and having afluid impervious stern extending upwardly .thirough' said small bore and extending into said large bore-to adjacent the upper end of said tubular section, said stem being dimensioned-to be' i'n close-fitting relationship [with saidsmall'bore substantially throughout the :length oil said small bore'to provide a seal therebetween-ysaid valve:stem beingtiltable to unseat said valve member portionand'todeforrn said small bore to provide a'passageway about said stem for establishing fluid fiow communication between the lower end of said small'bore and said large bore.

2."Structure accordingto claim l'g'whe re'in said valve stem has an enlarged portion adjacent the end of said small bore in communication with said large bore to retain saidlvalve member stem in said small bore of said resilient plug section.

3. Structure according to claim 1, wherein said valve member has a flange at its lower end normally out of contact with said flange ofsaid yieldable member and arranged to contact the latter-and to provide a toggle efiect which-assists in' more fully distorting said small bore.

4. A valve for dispensing fluid medium under pressure from a container, said valve comprising a yieldable member having a resilient plug section and a tubular section of greater length than said-plug section and extending from said plug section, said member having a relatively small diameter bore extending through said plug section and a bore of greater lengthand diameter than said small bore extending throughsaid tubular section androommunieating with said small bore; and a valvemember having a portion seated across the end of said small bore opposite said tubular section to seal said small bor'eand having a fluid-impervious stein extending through said small bore and extending into said large here to adjacent r the opposite end'of said tubular section, said stem being dimensioned to be in close-fitting relationship with said small bore substantially throughout-the length of said small bore to provide a seal therebetween, said valve stem being tiltable to unseat said valve member portion and to i deform said small bore to provide a passageway about saidstem.

5. A1 valve according to claim 4,- wherein said valve stem has an enlarged portion "adjacent the end of said small bore in communication with said large bore to-retain said valve member stem in said-small bore of said plugsection.

6. A valve-according to claim 4,"wherein-said plug section'has a flange on the end opposite saidt-ubulartsection and said valve member has a'fiange adjacent-said v valve'inember portion normally adjacently spaced from said plug section-flange and arranged to contact the latter and to provide a toggle effect which assists in more-fully distorting said small-bore.

' References Citedin the. file of thispatent UNITED .STATES PATENTS Card July 26, 1932 2,149,584 *Davis Mar. 7, 1939 2,487 ,434 vGeiss et a1. a Nov. 8, 1949 2,552,857 Knapp May 15, 1951 2,612,293 Michel Septy30, I952 

